Andrew Pickens is not as well known as Thomas Sumter and Francis Marion for his part in the Revolutionary War.  However he  did for the Upcountry of South Carolina what these heroes did for the Low Country.

Andrew grew up in South Carolina with the Cherokee Indians as neighbors.  He formed a close bond with the Indians and learned their culture.  He loved the land they loved.  As an adult, he settled near them in the Long Canes area, present day Abbeville. 

When the time came that frontier settlers in the Up Country had to fight the Indians to move to other areas, Congress chose Pickens to lead that fight.  He found his duty to go to war against his Indian friends very painful.  Yet he felt he had no choice.  The killings of entire white families must be stopeed.

Pickens often defeated the Indians using skills he learned from them.  Because of this they both honored and feared him.  The Cherokees called him Skyagunsta, the Indian word for "Wizard Owl." 

As an officer in the Revolutionary War, Pickens gained fame for his leadership at the Battle of Cowpens, but he is best remembered for his peacemaking between the Indians and the early settlers.